LEAGUE FOOTBALL

Greymouth Evening Star, 15 May 1925, Page 3

LEAGUE FOOTBALL

(NOTES BY

“SCRIBE.”)

Some solid propositions face the team for Australia early in the tour. Within a week of the first match our representatives will play New- South W ales twice and the combined' Australian Universities. This last match 1 will be as hard as kny, as •League is ' very popular m the Universities in Australia,

and is played exclusively in Brisbane* The game at Newcastle on July 11th is certain to draw a great crowd, as the League there is very powerful. Our team will then go up to Queensland, where they will strike anything but runaway matches, and on return to the Northern State, they will again play New South Wales or perhaps Australia. A delegation from Australian Board of Control is due in Auckland shortly to finalise the arrangements. The Otago League wants the West Coast to support Mr Nees, its nominee as South Island selector, but they are not likely to persuade this Centre to drop Mr Hall. A number of our forwards and- several backs have prospects of inclusion in the team for Australia, and they should remember that Mr Hall has a good chance of being appointed. The team will assemble at Auckland l at the end of June, and should be away about a month. . Advice has been received that the annual meeting of the N.Z. Referees’ Association passed off very successfully last week. Mr Sterling (secretary) has supplied us with several copies of the “Rugby League News,” a new paper now being published weekly at Auckland, which contain a splendid article on the rules, written by Mr Sterling himself. Incidentally, it may be stated that the rule preventing a goal being kicked from a mark is now being universally applied. J. Hannan, a brother of tlie famous sculler, /is playing for Marist (Auckland). There is a; great influx of new players at Auckland, and Carlaw Park is very popular this season. The writer has been shown a thoughtful / article in the Sydney “Referee’ which doubts the ability of the New Zealand team to extend the great club teams at Home. In spite of this Australian , writer’s opinions, however, I am sanguine enough to think that the New Zealand League team of 1926 will win more games than it loses, and will worthily uphold the football honour of the~'Dominion. ''

It is probable that the West Coast League will move in the direction of making preliminary arrangements for a tour of its representative team at Monday night's meeting. Steel brothers are back in the fray, representing Rover Juniors. Is Belworthy, who is playing for Tnangahua Juniors, the Rival halfback of a few seasons ago? Rustin, I notice, has been included in the Grey forwards. They should hold their own against Inangahua.

Marists have included all of their best for Blackball, and Jack Wriglrt and 1 Johnny Hinchin will be on deck again. “Brownie 17 is going away to Wellington on holiday shortly, and W. Kennedy .will turn out for Greens again.

To Brunner Juniors belongs the honour of downing Blackball, who have gone nearly three seasons without a defeat in the local competition. Diarists now have a break on the rest They may meet their Waterloo when they play Creek in the 'second round. Several important matters are to be discussed at Monday’s Centre meeting, including the improvement of the Blackball ground. Mr W. McVicar has notified his inability to referee the InanghuaGreymouth senior match, and a fresh appointment will be made to-morrow night. Thei'e has never been a third grade competition like the one this year. The Fixtures Committee are considering a suggestion to stage these games as the principal draw, when the second round is finished. Marists thirds and Nelson creek fought a terrific straggle at ..Nelson Creek last Sunday. Play was fast and the game travelled up and down field in a mtost exciting manner, until seven minutes before the final whistle. With only seven minutes to go, excitement was tense, when from a scrum in midfield, the ball travelled out to Brown, who put in a great ran and scored at the corner. Kiely failed with a difficult kick. Immediately afterwards, Brown secured again and, beating the opposition, scored a beautiful try under the posts. this time Kiely made no mistake. From a scrum near the line, Kiely secured and scored under the posts, and added the major -points himself. Time was then called, with the score 13 to nil in Marists’ favour. Mr Tibbles refereed efficiently. Eye-witnesses of the. Rover-Grey - mouth match state that it was just as exciting, and the margin of points in Rovers’ favour by no means indicated the run of play.

WEEK-END MATCHES. / Roa have a strong team with which to face Runanga to-morrow at tne Rec., and have by no means given up hope of having the name of the Club inscribed on the Cup. If the northern forwards are able to hold State, then Roa backs will be the deciding factor.

The above match will draw a great crowd, but no more than wilj go to Omoto on Sunday to see Blackball play Marists. If the former win. it will be more difficult than ever to pick the winners of the senior grade. Saturday’s game will be preceded by an interesting schools’ match between Runanga and Ngahere-Nelson Creek. There is no early game at Omoto on Sunday. In addition to the three games mentioned, nine others will be and it is not likely that any club will be willing to give away the first forfeit of the season.

Grevmouth seniors play Inangahua at Mawheraiti at 3.15 p.m. Marist and Inangahua juniors will provide the curtain-raiser to this game at 1.45 p.m. Nelson Creek play Rovers at Creek on Sunday at 3pm., Brunner and Greymouth juniors meet ao Brunner at 3.15 . m., and Blackball and Runanga juniors will face each other at Dunollie. In the third grade, Nelson Creek play Rovers at Rapahoe at 3 p.m., Brunner play Greymouth at Brunner at 1.45 p.m., and Marists and Blackball clash at Blackball at 3 p-m. A schools match between Blackball and Brunner will also be played at Blackball, at a time to be mutually arranged. The following teams will represent Inangahua League Club on Sunday next: — . . Seniors v. Greymouth at Mawheraiti —A. McAlpine (capt.), H. Neilson, W. Hannah, G. Harris, M. Flynn. A. McElwee, C. McElwee, F. Cutbush, A. Cutbush, S. Purton, .1. Adams, J. Fitzgerald, E. Martin. The Seniors will be without the

services of W. King who is suffering from a bad knee. Juniors v. Marists at Mawheraiti: R. Gilroy (capt.), Belworthy, S. Lee, G. Bannon, W. Campbell, F. Thorne, W. Woolhouse, W. Byrne, A. Molloy, T. Molloy, Cutbush, M. Gough, D. Costigan. • The following will represent the Brunner Junior League football team to play Greymouth at Wallsend on Sunday Collins, Cosgrave, J. McDonald, Guthrie, Le Vert, Ramsay, Le Beere, ’ Hill, Hall, Moore, Walton, Downs, Smith. Emergencies: J. Creagh, Middleton, Blanche.